Canton--The Repository, Canton’s
daily newspaper, is using a state constitutional
ban on same-sex marriage and civil union
to forbid the recognition of lesbian and
gay couples in print, and has advised all
the Ohio newspapers in its chain to follow
suit.

“Given the current state of the law in
Ohio, the Repository does not currently
intend to publish same-sex engagement and
wedding announcements. We also don’t intend
to address this topic on our editorial page
or in letters to the editor,” wrote Executive
Editor Jeff Gauger on April 28.

Gauger was responding to a letter from
Rev. Gene Kraus of New Vision United Church
of Christ in Canton, sent after the newspaper
refused an engagement announcement for two
of his congregants.

“We find this decision deeply offensive
and troubling for two reasons,” wrote Kraus.

“For the Repository to take this
stand is a slap in the face against a significant
part of the population of Canton and the
readership the Repository seeks to
serve,” Kraus continued.

“We protest this decision and insist that
the Repository reassess its policies
regarding the rights of same-gendered couples
to announce their engagements and form faithful
and loving families built upon a sacred
covenant blessed by their own faith community,”
Kraus concluded on behalf of the congregation.

Gauger would not comment on it. “I think
my letter speaks for itself,” he said.

The couple whose announcement was rejected,
Ronda Moorhead and Kelli Shaw, then wrote
to Gauger again.

“Initially we had decided to just let this
go and chalk it up to yet another social
barrier that gays and lesbians are too often
faced with. But after thinking it over,
we realize that there is much more to be
said,” the couple began.

“An engagement is not a legal event. There
are no legal guidelines in place regarding
engagements for homosexuals or heterosexuals,”
the couple wrote. “Therefore, since there
are no laws prohibiting same-sex engagements,
we have to question your underlying reason
and tell you that this is clearly discrimination.”

“We highly doubt that the Canton Repository
would want to go on record as saying that
it discriminates against the gay and lesbian
community,” the couple continued.

Before rejecting the announcement, the
Repository called the Moorhead and
Shaw to inquire if they are a same-sex couple.
The question is not part of the paper’s
normal procedure with engagement announcements.

Moorhead and Shaw challenged Gauger on
it.

“If we would have submitted our announcement
using only initials, we are fairly certain
that this situation would not exist. No
one would have been any the wiser. But I
guess that it was our mistake in assuming
that the Canton Repository was an
equitable enterprise.”

“In effect, what you are saying, is that
our ceremony is inconsiderable, and not
worthy of acknowledgement. If the local
newspaper will not recognize committed relationships
among gays and lesbians, then what chance
is there that the straight community will
ever accept these relationships as true
and meaningful?” the couple continued.

“We understand that the Canton Repository
has not previously published these types
of announcements and that in doing so you
might be making a rather bold political
statement; but what kind of a political
statement do you suppose that you are making
by not publishing them?” wrote the couple.

Moorhead and Shaw also included research
from the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against
Defamation saying that as of last year,
883 American newspapers publish announcements
for same-sex couples. Three-quarters of
them are in states with laws prohibiting
same-sex marriage.

The couple also pointed out that a number
of Ohio daily newspapers publish such announcements,
including the Repository’s competitors,
the Akron Beacon Journal, its neighbor,
the Alliance Review, the Cleveland
Plain Dealer and the very conservative
Lima News, among them.

Gauger repeated that because same-sex unions
are not recognized in Ohio, the Repository
will not publish the announcements.

The Repository does not charge opposite-sex
couples to run announcements.

Asked if they would run a same-sex engagement
announcement as a paid ad, Gauger said that
would be up to the sales department.

Concerning the refusal to address the issue
on the editorial page or in letters to the
editor, Gauger said his response to Kraus
was specific to the letter sent by the members
of the church.

He said the paper would not print letters
referring to couples they refuse to print
as an announcement. Kraus' letter doesn’t
mention the couple or their event.

Asked if he would run a letter on the topic
that does not reference any couples, Gauger
hedged.

“I’m not sure,” Gauger said. “That would
be up to more people than me. I’m not going
to base it on a letter I haven’t seen.”

President William McKinley’s grandfather-in-law
John Saxton founded the Repository
and it was the first newspaper to play a
critical role in a presidential election.

McKinley waged his 1896 “front porch campaign”
for the presidency from his Canton home.
Speeches delivered on the front porch were
published in special issues of the Repository,
then distributed by train throughout the
country to be delivered to homes and read
aloud at rallies.

Currently, the newspaper is owned by GateHouse
Media of Fairport, New York. Their other
Ohio properties are the Massillon Independent
and the New Philadelphia Times-Reporter.
The three are dailies.

GateHouse also owns the weekly Suburbanite
of southern Summit County.

It is not clear how other GateHouse publications
treat same-sex couples or if they include
sexual orientation or gender identity in
their employment non-discrimination policies.

Liz Lewis, an assistant to GateHouse’s
president, promised answers for this report,
but did not provide them.

Human resource matters for GateHouse in
Ohio are handled by Gary Carpenter at the
Repository.

"I have been instructed to tell you
that GateHouse's policy is in line with
federal law," Carpenter said.

Carpenter added that "If we have to
put anything out or publish anything on
the matter, it will be on GateHouse's website."

GateHouse's corporate website lists rules
for its users. Among them is, "You
agree not to submit any content in any forums,
chats, emails or otherwise that . . .
abuses or discriminates on the basis of
race, religion, nationality, gender, sexual
orientation, age, region, disability, etc."
But there is no non-discrimination statement.

Repository employees are protected
by the city of Canton's 2006 ordinance which
covers sexual orientation for all employees,
public and private, in the city of Canton
and "his or her spouse, with respect
to hire, tenure, terms, conditions or privileges
of employment, or any matter directly or
indirectly related to employment,"
including job training and union practices.

LGBT employees of the other publications
are unprotected.

Times-Reporter publisher Jac Clay
said he “is going to pass [on answering
questions] at this time” before abruptly
hanging up.

Independent publisher Ron Fraily
said “We stand by what GateHouse Ohio does.”
He then called Gauger and told him that
the Gay People’s Chronicle was inquiring.

Gauger mentioned Fraily’s call to him,
and said GateHouse allows editors to do
what is best for their markets.

On this matter, however, GateHouse Ohio
operations appear to be run by Gauger and
the Repository.

Suburbanite general manager Dan
Mucci said not recognizing same-sex couples
is “the policy of GateHouse Ohio.”

Mucci also said that the Suburbanite,
which charges for engagement announcements,
would also not accept one as an advertisement.

“The policy was sent to us by the Repository,”
Mucci said. “It was told to us and we are
following it.”